OBJECTIVE:

The aim of this study was to detect the personal changes during menstrual periods among Turkish women, and to search whether a pictorial blood assessment chart could be used for such a purpose.

METHOD:

600 women were included in this study. Along with a questionnaire, pictorial blood assessment chart (PBAC) was applied to investigate the women’s bleeding pattern during the menstrual period. The PBAC is based on the visual appearance of stained towels, tampons and the presence of clots.

RESULTS:

When the pictorial scores of the participants were evaluated, 218 patients (36.3%) had a score lower than 50, 100 patients (16.7%) had between 50-70, 129 patients (21.5%) had between 70-100 and 153 (25.5%) patients had a pictorial score greater than 100. 79% of women using 5 or more pads during menstruation had a pictorial score greater than 50, 67% of women having blood on their underwear had a pictorial score greater than 50 and 76% of women using big sized pads had a pictorial score greater than 50.

CONCLUSION:

We recommend the use of pictorial blood assessment chart for the diagnosis of menorrhagia and evaluation of the treatment outcomes.

Keywords: menorrhagia, pictorial chart, blood assessment chart